Do The Right Thing

Campus Event, Garden City Event, Film Screening

1989, 120 minutes, color, written and directed by Spike Lee

Spike Lee’s tale of the complexities of race exacerbated by the police, those enforcers of state-sanctioned white supremacy, may now be considered a classic, almost 30 years after its initial release, but that status has not dulled the film’s cathartic anger nor its controversial edge. The film follows events on a single block in Brooklyn over the course of one sweltering summer day, from a morning of simmering tensions focusing on a white-owned pizzeria, to a night of violence. Do The Right Thing teems with life, thanks to an extraordinary ensemble cast (including Samuel L. Jackson, John Turturro and Rosie Perez) and a soundtrack that brings together hip-hop, jazz and R & B.

Martin Haas, associate professor of history at Adelphi will lead a discussion following the film.

This spring, the Adelphi University Department of History will host a series of film screenings exploring the history of immigration, migration and race. At the conclusion of each screening, a member of the Adelphi faculty will lead a discussion about the film with the audience. All screenings will take place in the Concert Hall and are free and open to the public.